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China has more money than it knows what to do with. In fact, it has more money in foreign reserves than Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa combined.

According to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, the country has $5.94 trillion in external financial assets as of end of the year 2013, up from $5.2 trillion at the end of 2012. That's more than half of the country's $8.3 trillion domestic economy, socked away in Treasury bonds and other securities -- including hard assets -- from continental Africa to California.

That total includes the People's Bank of China's $3.88 trillion international reserve account, which accounts for 65% of the total foreign assets held by China. Most of that reserve is in the form of U.S. government bonds. China is the world's largest foreign holder of U.S. debt, with nearly $2 billion in outstanding Treasury securities.

Meanwhile, China's outbound direct investment in other countries accounted for just 10% of foreign assets, with securities investments accounting for 4% and "other investments" -- such as personal properties -- making up another 20%.

The People's Bank of China. The monetary authorities have over $3.8 trillion in a foreign reserve account, more than any nation on earth. To put it into perspective, China has more in its foreign account than Brazil and Mexico's entire economic output. (Archival photo from Wikipedia)

According to the government, China's current account surplus was $182.8 billion last year, a 15% drop from 2012 levels.

In 2013, China's international reserve assets increased by $431.4 billion -- an increase that is roughly the size of Russia's entire foreign exchange reserve, the second biggest in the BRICs.

China's reserve assets in foreign exchange rose by $432.7 billion last year, $334 billion more from the increase in 2012.

Reserve Accounts of BRIC Nations

No one compares to China. In fact, China has more money in international reserves than all of the BRICS combined. And by a long shot, too. Here's the rest of the lot, including South Africa, which likes to include itself in the foursome at global meetings.